Michael Strahan Elected to Hall of Fame: Former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan (1993-2007) was officially elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. Strahan played 15 seasons for the Giants and holds the team record for most regular-season games played with 216. He was voted to seven Pro Bowls and named All-Pro six times (four times first-team, two times second-team). Strahan was also named the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2001 and the NFC Defensive Player of the Year in 2001 and 2003. He accrued 141.5 sacks as a Giant. He still holds the NFL’s single-season sack record with 22.5 and is fifth all-time on the NFL’s career sack list.

“From the time that he retired, I always felt that he would be simply waiting for the mandatory time requirement before he became a Hall of Famer,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin. “That’s what I always thought he would be and rightfully so. He takes his place along with the great, great defensive players of the game and the great Giants of the game who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame”

“It’s hard to find guys with everything, but this guy had everything…size, speed, power, toughness, endurance, motor, smarts, leadership, heart, love for the game, but what I admired most about Michael was his pride,” said General Manager Jerry Reese. “No matter what the circumstances were, when he walked out on that field on Sunday, he was going to give it ALL to you. There aren’t many guys who can say that.”

“I’m thrilled for Michael,” said New York Giants President/CEO John Mara. “He was one of the greatest players in franchise history. Without him, there’s no way we would have won Super Bowl XLII. Not only was he a huge part of that team because of his play on the field, he was the leader of that defense. The other players looked up to him. He established a mark for consistency during his outstanding 15-year career. Very few people played the position as well as he did, particularly because he played the run as well as being a great pass-rusher. He was a leader and a great player and I’m delighted that he is going to his rightful place in Canton.”

“He’s a Hall of Famer player,” said former Giants General Manager Ernie Accorsi. “And I said this when he played: I’m sure there are others, but I have never seen an elite pass rusher that played the run as well as he did. Because it doesn’t happen. Now believe me, I understand the strategy that a lot of it was to negate his pass rush. But I know that (Vince) Lombardi used to run at Deacon Jones. You just didn’t run at Michael Strahan. That wasn’t going to do you any good at all. You might slow down his pass rush, but he was going to make the play. I’ve never seen someone who was that good against the run, and he wasn’t that big. He played with leverage and technique and his brains. He had talent, don’t get me wrong, but he was such a smart player.”

Jerry Reese – Giants May Re-Sign a Few Players Before Free Agency Begins: The Giants currently have 27 players not under contract. On Thursday, General Manager Jerry Reese said the Giants may re-sign a few of those players before free agency begins on March 11.

“This is going to be a saturated free-agent market again it looks like,” said Reese. “We might be able to get a few guys done before the regular free agency starts. But we’re still evaluating players and free agents and seeing where our cap situation is going to be. So, we’ll work it out.”

On Thursday, defensive end Justin Tuck told The New York Post he is intent on testing the free agent market.

“Justin and I have talked a little bit about it,” said Reese. “I think guys deserve to go out and see what the market is when you reach free agency. It’s hard to reach free agency. When you have a chance to get there, you deserve to see what the market is. He deserves to see what the market is.”

Tuck sounded less sure when quoted by The Star-Ledger on Friday.

“There’s a chance (I might re-sign before March 11), but I’m preparing myself to get to free agency, but it might not happen,” said Tuck. “So we’ll see what happens…I think players would rather not hit free agency for the most part. That means that the team they’re playing for at the time is pretty good and they want to stay and that team is giving them the amount of money they want to play for. So, I think, obviously, most people would rather not get to free agency, but it is an exciting time for me I guess. I’ve never been a part of this, I don’t know what to expect and I’ll just go with the flow.”

Justin Tuck Says He Will Test Free Agent Market: Defensive end Justin Tuck, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent on March 11, told The New York Post that he will not re-sign with the Giants before free agency begins.

“I will see what the market is for me,” Tuck said. “I’ve never been in this situation before, and it’s a great opportunity for myself. I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn’t see what the market is, and I will.”

Tuck did say he will extend the Giants the courtesy of sitting down with them in February.

“We will sit down in a couple of weeks and see what happens, but obviously, the Giants are going to do what’s best for the Giants, and vice versa with me and my family,” said Tuck. “I understand where they’re coming from and what obstacles they have to overcome this offseason. There’s no guarantee, and that’s obvious. It’s a business, and (I) understand both sides of it.”

“I’m a pretty good football player,” Tuck said, “and I’m pretty sure there will be some interest in a pretty good football player.”

Punter Steve Weatherford on ESPN Radio: The audio of Thursday’s ESPN Radio interview with punter Steve Weatherford is available at ESPN.com.

On Thursday, Giants President/CEO John Mara said there also may be additional candidates.

Marc Ross Will Interview With Dolphins on Sunday: As we reported on Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins have requested and received permission from the New York Giants to interview Giants Vice President of Player Evaluation Marc Ross. Both teams are considering Ross for their general manager vacancies.

NFL.com is reporting that Ross will interview with the Dolphins on Sunday.

Michael Strahan Makes Final 15 for Potential Hall of Fame Induction, George Young Does Not: Former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan (1993-2007) made the cut from 25 to 15 modern-era Pro Football Hall of Fame 2014 candidates on Thursday night. Those actually being entered into the Hall of Fame in 2014 will be announced on February 1st, the day before Super Bowl XLVIII, with the list first being reduced to 10 then 5.

Strahan made the cut to 10 last year, but did not make the final cut to five.

Strahan played 15 seasons for the Giants and was voted to seven Pro Bowls and named All Pro six times (four times first-team, two times second-team). He was also named the 2001 AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He accrued 141.5 sacks as a Giant.

Former New York Giants General Manager George Young (1979-1997) did not make the cut. See the Hall of Fame Giants section of BBI for a complete list of Giants in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

NJ.com Reports That Kevin Gilbride Likely to Be Fired:NJ.com is reporting that “high-ranking officials in the Giants organization” believe that Giants’ offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride will soon be fired. The website is saying that the announcement may not be made official right away as organizational meetings ultimately determining Gilbride’s final fate could run into next week. NJ.com is also reporting that an unidentified source within the organization says that Head Coach Tom Coughlin is unlikely to put his job on the line to keep Gilbride.

Speculation is growing that the Giants might replace Gilbride with Mike Sullivan, Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator who was fired on Monday. Sullivan served as wide receivers (2004-2009) and quarterbacks (2010-2011) coach for the Giants under Tom Coughlin. “We obviously think very highly of him,” said New York Giants’ President/CEO John Mara on Monday.

QB Eli Manning on WFAN: The audio of Monday’s WFAN interview with QB Eli Manning is available at CBSNewYork.com

December 30, 2013 John Mara Press Conference: The transcript and video of Giants President/CEO John Mara’s Monday press conference are available at Giants.com.

December 30, 2013 Jerry Reese Press Conference: The transcript and video of General Manager Jerry Reese’s Monday press conference are available at Giants.com.

December 30, 2013 Tom Coughlin Press Conference: The transcript and video of Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s Monday press conference are available at Giants.com.

Injury Update on LT Will Beatty and RB David Wilson: General Manager Jerry Reese was asked about LT Will Beatty, who broke his leg in the game against the Washington Redskins on Sunday. “We think he’ll be back and he’ll be ready to play next season. We do think that,” said Reese. “From early reviews, we think Will will be back. We think he will be back and hopefully he will be back and he can get going and have a good offseason as well. He didn’t play as well as we hoped he’d play. I think he’d own that as well. Hopefully he can get back, get healthy and go on and have a great off-season and be a good left tackle.”

Reese was also asked about the future status of RB David Wilson, who was placed on Injured Reserve in November with a potentially career-threatening neck injury.

“Those neck things, you have to wait around,” said Reese. “Those discs they have, sometimes they can shrink and it takes time for them to shrink. They did that and we’re waiting. At the beginning of the year, we’ll have another consultation with him, to see if surgery would be a possibility for him. That could be a possibility and if he has the surgery, I think the prognosis is that he’ll be ready to play next fall, if he has his surgery.”

Reese was then asked if the injury was career-threatening. “When you talk about necks, there’s always a possibility,” responded Reese. “We’re hopeful and the earlier reports that I’ve gotten, doctors do think they can fix this and he’ll be able to play…I think we’ll have to have some contingency plans at the running back position. I don’t think you go into the next season saying David Wilson’s going to be our number one, starting running back. I don’t think you can do that. The guy is coming off of a neck surgery, if he decides to have it.”

Giants Sign Eight Players to Reserve/Future Contracts: The Giants signed the following eight players to reserve/future contracts on Monday:

RB Kendall Gaskins

WR Marcus Harris

OT Steven Baker

DE Kendrick Adams

CB Travis Howard

CB Junior Mertile

CB Chaz Powell

CB Ross Weaver

All eight players ended the season on the Giants’ practice squad.

December 30, 2013 New York Giants Player Media Q&As: Transcripts and video of Monday’s media sessions with the following players are available at Giants.com:

New York Giants 20 – Washington Redskins 6; Manning, Beatty, Brewer, Randle, and Nicks Hurt: The New York Giants defeated the Washington Redskins 20-6 on Sunday afternoon at a dreary, nearly-empty, rain-soaked MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. With the win, the Giants finished the 2013 NFL season with a 7-9 record (3-3 in the NFC East).

However, the real story was the game-ending injuries suffered by QB Eli Manning (high ankle sprain), LT Will Beatty (broken right leg), OG James Brewer (ankle), WR Rueben Randle (knee), and WR Hakeem Nicks (ankle). Beatty’s injury appears to be the worst of the bunch. He had to be carted from the field in the third quarter and Head Coach Tom Coughlin did not know the severity of the fracture after the game. Manning was using a walking boot and crutches after the contest. Brewer left the game early and was spotted wearing a walking boot in the locker room. Randle and Nicks left the game in the first half. Randle, who missed practice all week with a knee issue, said his departure was precautionary. Beatty’s availability for the 2014 season could be at risk.

The injuries severely depleted an already undermanned Giants team. By the second half, the Giants were down to Jerrel Jernigan, Louis Murphy, and Julian Talley at wide receiver. Curtis Painter was at quarterback. And the offensive line consisted of Stephen Goodin, Dallas Reynolds, Kevin Boothe, David Diehl, and Justin Pugh.

Offensively, aside from the play of WR Jerrel Jernigan, it was an ugly game for the Giants. Not counting the ends of both halves, the Giants had 16 offensive possessions. Eight ended with punts, one with a missed field goal, three with turnovers, and four with scores. Jernigan scored both touchdowns, one on a 24-yard pass from Manning in the second quarter and the other on a 49-yard end around in the third quarter. The Giants were held to 14 first downs, 3-of-14 on third down, and only gained 278 total net yards (122 yards rushing and 156 yards passing).

Defensively, the Giants did a number on the Redskins, holding Washington to 12 first downs, 5-of-20 on third down, and 251 net yards (91 yards rushing and 160 yards passing). Most importantly, the Giants kept the Redskins out of the end zone despite turnovers that gave the Redskins the ball at the Giants’ 18 and Redskins’ 46 yard lines. The Giants held the Redskins to two first downs in the first half. And for the game, in 17 offensive possessions, the Redskins punted nine times, turned the ball over four times, turned the ball over on downs twice, and kicked two field goals.

Eli Manning finished the game 10-of-24 for 152 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. QB Curtis Painter, who played the entire second half, finished the game 2-of-8 for 11 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception. RB Peyton Hillis carried the ball 17 times for 56 yards. RB Andre Brown only managed 11 yards on 13 carries and also fumbled the ball away. Jernigan was the leading rusher (two carries for 57 yards and a touchdown) and receiver (6 catches for 90 yards and a touchdown).

On the defensive side of the ball, MLB Jon Beason led the team with 9 tackles. DE Justin Tuck had 6 tackles, 2 sacks, and forced a fumble. DT Cullen Jenkins had 4 tackles, 1 sack, and forced a fumble. DT Linval Joseph and LB Keith Rivers both recovered fumbles. CB Trumaine McBride picked off two passes and had six pass defenses.

Post-Game Injury Report: QB Eli Manning (high ankle sprain), LT Will Beatty (fractured right leg), OG James Brewer (ankle), WR Rueben Randle (knee), and WR Hakeem Nicks (ankle) all left the game and did not return. OG David Diehl revealed he will need thumb surgery in the offseason. CB Terrell Thomas revealed that he not only underwent his third ACL repair in the 2013 offseason but he also had microfracture surgery.

“I’m not exactly sure (if Beatty broke his) tibia, fibula or just one of those,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin. “I don’t have that information for you, but he’s hurt.”

“I couldn’t finish the game,” said Manning. “I obviously wanted to. The doctor said it would not be a good decision, and I agreed with him. I don’t think I could have been very effective playing after the injury…I knew it was hurt a little bit at the time and just hoped it wasn’t worse, and I’m very happy to hear it was just a sprain…Rest for a few weeks and I’ll probably be in a boot for a while, that’s what they say with a high ankle sprain. Obviously I have time now, so I’ll just rest it up and start rehabbing. I’ll probably have a little better idea tomorrow or the next day, as I go in and figure out what I need to do to get better.”

Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s Post-Game Press Conference: The transcript and video of Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s post-game press conference are available at Giants.com.

Player Post-Game Media Sessions: Transcripts and video of post-game media sessions with the following players are available at Giants.com:

The Giants started the season 0-6 and finished 7-3 in the last 10 games. The Giants finished the 2013 NFL season 4-4 at home and 3-5 on the road. The Giants finished third in the NFC East for the second season in a row.

All nine of the Giants’ losses were to teams that finished .500 or better.

The Giants finished the season with an average of just 83.3 yards on the ground, their lowest season-long average since they rushed for 76.9 yards a game in 1945.

The Giants turned the football at least once in every game this season.

Tom Coughlin won his 90th regular-season game as the Giants’ head coach. He is just the second coach in franchise history to reach that plateau (Steve Owen had 153).

QB Eli Manning’s first and last passes of the season were each intercepted.

Manning was sacked 39 times this season.

WR Jerrel Jernigan’s 49-yard touchdown run was the longest by a Giants wide receiver since the 1970 merger. In addition, it was the longest run by a Giant this season. This is the first time since the merger the Giants’ longest run was by a wide receiver.

DE Justin Tuck finished the season with 11 sacks, the third-highest total of his career and the fourth double-digit sack season in Tuck’s nine Giants seasons.

Despite missing a 50-yard field goal, PK Josh Brown made 23-of-26 field goal attempts this season, a percentage of 88.5 that is third-highest in Giants history (minimum 15 attempts).

Justin Pugh started at right tackle, as he did in every game this season, becoming the first Giants rookie to start an entire 16-game season since defensive tackle Barry Cofield in 2006.

David Diehl returned to the starting lineup at right guard. It was Diehl’s 164th regular-season game in a Giants uniform, tying him with quarterback Phil Simms for 12th place on the franchise’s career list. Diehl started 160 of those games, including 11 this season.

No New York Giants Selected to 2013 NFL Pro Bowl: The New York Giants were shut out of the 2013 NFL Pro Bowl. Antrel Rolle was selected as a second alternate at safety. The last time no Giant went to the Pro Bowl was 1996.

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